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Who said you can’t have a lil’ snack while watching TV? Not this girl. In fact, I welcome it at times.

I am one of those people that cannot live by strict nutrition rules. For one, nothing is fun about the word “strict”. For two, rules are meant to be broken. Am I right?!

So put away your strict nutrition rules. You ain’t got time for that. I know certain fitness and nutrition guru’s tell you never to eat in front of the TV, but you don’t have to listen. They aren’t the food police.

Instead, if you are hungry and WANT to savor a snack in front of the TV, do so. I have some healthy, wholesome snack ideas for TV Time. But, if you decide to have a different snack… no worries. Honor your hunger and listen to your body, sista!

My boyfriend and I keep a fridge upstairs in our game room. We watch most of our TV up there so it is nice to have extra beverages and snacks up there. However, before two weeks ago my boyfriend was NOT interested in healthy eating. Or not much, anyways. But, now he is and he has actually been influential on changing the snacks we keep upstairs. The fridge used to have loads of processed chips, cookies, and candy on top of it. Only beverages were kept inside. We have since switched things around and I must say, I love it. I love that we are both eating more fruits and vegetables. We are honoring our bodies with wholesome foods… and what is more kick ass than that in regards to nutrition?! Not much, I’d say.

So, without further ado… I give you my TV Time snacks.

Mixed Fruit. I buy a bunch of different fruit and cut it up on Sundays when I don’t have too much going on. When fruit is easier to grab, you will eat more of it. Plus, aren’t the colors beautiful?!

Tillamoos Cheese Rectangles. I am not a huge fan of cheese so I don’t eat these much, but Matt loves the heck out of them. They are easy to grab and have some protein.

Salad. A bag of salad, plastic bowls, easy-to-pour dressing, and a handful of plastic forks will inspire you to eat more veggies. Trust me, it works. Matt even thought of this one!

No calorie beverages. I choose La Croix. They have SO many flavors now. I know some people don’t do carbonated water, but if you do try different flavors. At the moment, my top three favorites are coconut, mango, and passion fruit.

Not all salads are created equal, but for the most part eating a salad can be a healthy way to color your plate. Just look at that picture above. There’s green. white, red, and brown all in one salad. And yours can have even MORE colors than that. Isn’t that cool? Come on, you can say yes… just because we are adults does not mean we can no longer get excited about fun colors (even in food).

Many of you are working in an office setting and others of you are working from home. No matter where we work or what we do, we all have something in common… time flies by! And some of you even forget about lunch. That never happens for me, but I do have a good friend who will not eat lunch unless someone forces him to take a break. (Dietitian moment: skipping meals is no good for your metabolism, but that’s another post). Grab a salad! You can buy one almost anywhere or make one yourself very easily and take with you to work.

Keep these things in mind when buying or making your salad:

Vary up your base. Choose the best greens for you like spinach and kale or mix the greens up like a spring mix. You will get more nutrition from kale and spinach than you would from iceburg. Doesn’t mean you can’t ever have iceburg, but mix it up!

Include a healthy carbohydrate. Add in some fruit to your salad or sprinkle on some corn for a fiesta type salad. If you are having a salad for lunch, you still want to include a wholesome carbohydrate to fuel you up for the rest of the day.

Don’t be afraid of a little fat. Slice up some avocado or include your favorite nut. Unsaturated fats will keep you fuller longer. I love walnuts on my salad!

Power it up with protein. Even if you are a vegetarian, add in some protein. You can add in soybeans or black beans if you do not want grilled chicken, steak, or salmon.

Go light on the dressing. I do not mean buy the fat free ranch or Italian dressing. I mean, use the real stuff, but drizzle it on your salad or have your dressing on the side. If the salad is swimming in the dressing, you probably have more calories in that salad than a Big Mac. Just sayin’!